The Struggle is Real – Five Problems You’ll Face When Eating at a Non-Halal Restaurant

So you’ve gotten together with a group of friends and you’re all heading out to eat.

There’s only one little problem.

They’ve chosen a restaurant that’s not exclusively halal. That means you’re going to have to create a plan if you’re going to enjoy a good meal instead of sitting there with nothing on your plate.

And to do that, you’re going to have to overcome these five problems.

Problem #1 – Meat is Off the Menu

You have no idea how the non-halal meat at the restaurant is slaughtered or prepared. The odds are pretty high that eating it will be haram.

The only solution that you have here is that you’re going to have to avoid any dishes that contain meat. Unfortunately, that’s going to take a lot of items off the menu, unless you’re dining at a vegan/vegetarian restaurant.

Problem #2 – Saying Bismillah

Okay, so this one isn’t too much of a problem. You’ll say Bismillah before every meal. For this one, you’ll may just need to explain what the word means to your non-Muslim compatriots.

Why not get them all to join in. You can give grace to God before the meal and not have to worry about people asking why you appear to be talking to your food before you eat it.

Problem #3 – A Lack of Vegetarian Options

As mentioned, you’re going to have to avoid the meat at a non-halal restaurant. That means you’re going to be relying on the vegetarian menu for your meal.

Unfortunately, not every restaurant has a great selection of vegetarian dishes. For example, if you’re going to a steakhouse it’s not all too likely that there’ll be a whole lot of vegetarian choice. After all, people go to steakhouses to eat steak.

You can also run into similar problems when abroad, especially in countries that haven’t adopted vegetarianism to a wide extent.

Again, there’s not much of a solution to this one outside of just ordering what seems most appealing. With a little luck, you’ll find at least one vegetarian dish that you like.

Problem #4 – Looking a Little Closer for Alcohol

Alcohol is haram, which is why most halal restaurants either don’t serve it or only serve a few beers. They certainly don’t use alcohol in the foods that they create.

Unfortunately, you can’t say the same for non-halal restaurants. It’s not uncommon to come across red wine or ale sauces. Plus, even some of the desserts may have alcohol in them. You’re going to have to pay close attention to a meal’s ingredients to ensure you’re not accidentally consuming alcohol.

Problem #5 – Having to Explain Why You’re So Picky

If one of your fellow diners doesn’t understand halal, you’re going to have to explain it to them. This may not be something you want to do, especially as it makes you the centre of attention of the group.

Sometimes, it’s easier to just make your excuses so you don’t have to go through all of this hassle. That’s where Najma Foods comes in. We offer a huge range of convenient and tasty halal chilled meats that you can enjoy at home.

Just head to our store locator to find out where you can buy our products.